Trebuchet Light Multi-Role Missile
The British Exospace (BEX) GWS-710 series of multi-role missile, better known as the Trebuchet family, are the main light precision missile system used by the military of the United Commonwealth. The family has been in service for over three decades and has spawned a number of variants. The Trebuchet saw extensive service in both the 3rd War of Barnard's Star and the earlier Addledorf Rebellion. The Trebuchet was designed primarily as a ground attack/close support missile but it also has a secondary role as a light anti-shipping missile. The latest variants (the D & E) have a tertiary function as an anti-fighter missile thanks to a blast fragmentation effect from the missile casing. GWS-710A/B - Trebuchet I The first version of the Trebuchet were delivered to the RAF and RSN in 2377. The GWS-710A was fitted with a millimetric band radar seeker head and a 105kg shaped-charge warhead. When launched in an atmosphere the Trebuchet I has an effective range of between 1 and 50km depending on the launch altitude. In space the motor has an burn time of 30 seconds. The -710B was the export version developed in 2379. The -B missile has a simpler seeker head which uses a different frequency from the -A model to prevent potentially hostile nations from developing counter-measures. In total over three thousand Trebuchet I's were built, two thirds for the Commonwealth the remainder for export. GWS-710C Trebuchet I+ After a decade of service BEX offered the Commonwealth an upgraded version of the Trebuchet I with improved ECM/ECCM capabilities and new motor engines. The RAF and RSN returned over a thousand unused missiles and these were upgraded to the new standard. The programme was extended to a number of export users although in the end only South Africa and the ACPL took up the offer. A simpler upgrade (the 710B+) was eventually offered to the Free Cities of Mars and Saudi Arabia. GWS-710D/E Trebuchet II By 2390 stockpiles of Trebuchets in UC service were starting to run low. On average seventy five rounds were expended every year on live fire training exercises whilst dozens more had been used during counter-piracy operations throughout the Old Reach. BEX had already begun work on a replacement missile which incorporated at least 80% commonality with the earlier missile. The Trebuchet II entered service in 2393, just in time for the Addledorf Rebellion. The Trebuchet II is 25.2cm longer than the earlier missile, the bulk of the space been used to fit a new warhead. This new warhead is a tandem breaching round capable of punching through up to 2.5m of reinforced concrete. A new motor engine increases atmospheric range out to up to 75km. Like the earlier version the Trebuchet II comes in two variants with the D variant currently only been sold to the UC and the UOE although the USA has shown an interest following the types successes in the 3rd War of Barnard's Star. The -E variant is available for export and is once again fitted a different seeker head to the UC version. GWS-720 Ship Launched Trebuchet During the 3rd War of Barnard's Star the Commonwealth was heavily engaged in the so-called "Battle of the Shipping Lanes" whereby RSN ships and their Imperial counterparts would attempt to slip behind each others lines and destroy opposing merchant ships, stations, and where possible each others warships. During this campaign the RSN ships had only two means of destroying smaller targets - their lasers or their main heavy anti-ship missile. As an alternative BEX has developed a variant of the Trebuchet which can be carried by ships and used against lightly armoured targets. The Ship Launched Trebuchet (SLT) consists of a number of 4- or 6-cell containers which can be simply bolted onto a ships outer hull and then wired in to the ships sensor net. The missiles themselves have an enlarged sustainer motor and are launched using compressed CO2, their main engines not firing until they are clear of the launch vessel. The RSN is currently evaluating the SLT with a view to fitting it to as many ships as possible. Because of its acronym the SLT has gained a somewhat salubrious nickname amongst crewmen taking part in the field tests. Operators The Trebuchet family has been heavily exported. As well as the UC (RAF and RSN) the Trebuchet is currently fielded by the ACPL (B+ variant), Brazil (B & E variants), the Free Cities of Mars (B+ & E) and Saudi Arabia (B+), and the UOE (A and D). Several other countries have announced an interest in the E variant following the recent war, including India and Japan. The USA has recently (August 2410) purchased a small number for evaluation. Category:Weapons Category:Missiles